Page 41 of Never Dare to Masquerade with a Maiden

“I’ve respected your wishes to date, but he’s hurt you, and I’ll not stand for it. Tell me his name.”

Anne remained tightlipped. “I can’t tell you his name.”

He recalled the fateful night at the Velvet Hell when he suspected Anne had visited. “Was it the Honorable Earl of Marshall? Can’t be, he was banished to the country by his twin brother the Duke of Strandon. Who has upset you so?”

Anne shrugged. “Was it the earl or the duke? Who knows who he really is…”

The woman was making no sense. Was the brandy already affecting her sharp mind? “What the devil is wrong with you?”

“I truly had hoped that after discovering the identity of your angel, you’d cease with all the questions and return to merely speaking when spoken to.”

Warren glared down at Anne, who was trying to redirect their conversation. He wasn’t about to allow it this time. “Out with the truth, or so help me God, I’ll…”

She shrugged out of his hold and looked up at him with eyes filled with anger. “You’ll what? There is nothing you can do that will make me feel worse than I already do.”

At the sight of two small tears running down her cheek, he reached into his coat pocket and handed it to her. “Here.”

Anne snatched the material from his hand and dabbed at her face. “Promise me you won’t go and pay a visit to Marshall. I mean, his brother the duke.”

That was a promise he couldn’t make. His mama was her chaperone. Anne was under his roof; she was under his guardianship until her father returned from the Continent. If anything were to happen to her, he would be held responsible. “Unfortunately, I can’t grant you your wish this time, Anne.”

A sob escaped her, and he pulled Anne in close for a hug. He patted her back as she continued to cry. The Duke of Strandon was going to pay for whatever misdeed he or his brother had committed; he would make sure of it.

Over the top of Anne’s head, he looked toward the window, and his eyes narrowed. The curtains were askew. He stepped away from Anne and crossed the room in quick, long strides. A light draft brushed against his heated cheeks. Why in the devil was the window open? He drew back the curtain that had caught his attention and stuck his head out into the cool night air. Scanning the front garden, he could find no sign of anyone about, but the hair on the back of his neck told him otherwise. His fingers tightened about the sill as he leaned out further to see around the corner, but the pipe drain blocked his view.

“Is there someone out there?” Anne asked as she squeezed next to him and poked her head out also.

“Surely you're not hoping to see the man who upset you, are you?”

The infuriating woman didn’t answer. She merely retreated and then poured herself another drink.

“Anne,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

She knocked back the amber liquid like a sailor this time, no coughing or sputtering, and her expression remained natural as if she hadn’t been a crying mess moments ago. He turned to close the window, and through the glass pane, in the twilight, he caught the flutter of material as he slid the latch into place. Who was out there? Could it have been Olivia, or was it wishful thinking on his part that she’d come to him?

Warren strode toward Anne, who was now swaying slightly from side to side, and snatched the glass from her hand. “That is enough for one night.” The tumbler hit the sideboard, with a tad more force than he meant, causing Anne to jump, which was out of character for her. To appease his unease, he’d have to check the back garden and stables to rule out the possibility of a thief or the scoundrel who had upset Anne being about.

He wrapped an arm about Anne’s waist to steady her. “Come along. Best you retire for the night.”

As Warren escorted Anne up to her chambers, he began to form a list of Marshall and his brother's regular haunts. He’d head off to White’s, and if the bastards weren't at their club, then he’d venture to the Velvet Hell once more. A shiver rolled down his spine. The thought of being caught in one of Lady Osbourne’s webs had him praying he’d find one of the twin brothers before resorting to visiting the gaming hell famous for relieving several poor Lords of all their coin and more.

“Love is the worst. Don’t fall in love. It’s too…” Anne mumbled as he sat her upon the edge of the bed. As Anne’s head hit the pillow, she finished her sentence with, “Too much.”

“Hate to tell you, my friend, but it is too late to warn me against falling in love, for my heart already belongs to Olivia.”

With a grin, Anne confessed, “I love Olivia too.”

Warren tugged on the bell pull, summoning Anne’s maid. Out in the hall, he took out his pocket watch as he let the door click close behind him. Ten past eight. He had plenty of time. He’d deal with Anne’s tormentor and then pay a visit to Olivia and not leave until she agreed to marry him. Begrudgingly, he had to agree with Lady Charlotte; a man of action was one worthy of love.

Chapter Fifteen

Seated by the window, chin resting on her knees, Olivia stared up at the sky as the first rays of light filtered through the clouds. Every time her eyes closed, the image of Lady Anne being hugged by Warren reappeared. It was her punishment for breaking her promise to Ian not to venture out in the evening. Eyelids heavy, she rested her head against the glass pane.

The care Warren showed Anne knotted her stomach. It had been torture to be so close to him day after day and not allowed a moment of privacy with the man her heart longed for. She missed his soft caresses against her cheek, across her back… Argh. Arms wrapped around her bent legs, she squeezed her thighs close to her chest.

Anne had treated her kindly, like a sister, and here she was steaming with jealousy. It wasn’t that Warren had exchanged heated gazes with Anne, nor with a gleam of physical interest, yet Olivia’s chest ached so deeply she questioned whether she might be having an apoplexy.

Oh, why did I decide to pay him a visit? She should have remained in her chambers as Lady Charlotte had instructed and waited to see if he came to her, but as she gazed out the window, there was still no sign of Warren. With daylight approaching, it wasn’t likely he’d come.